Tendai Makumire
Popular jiti and gospel musician Baba Harare, has sent shockwaves across Zimbabwe’s music scene with a fiery Facebook post this morning that confirmed his return to Jiti music after a dramatic foray into gospel under the name King David.
Posting to his official page, he wrote:
“Good morning Jiti family. Shoko rakasvika. I am coming back to assume my rightful throne. Hazviite kuti musare musina baba. Album loading…”
The post immediately set social media alight, with fans, critics and fellow artists weighing in on what appears to be a full-circle return to the genre that earned him national acclaim.
Just over a year ago, Baba Harare shocked his fan base when he ditched the vibrant, high-energy Jiti sound for a more solemn gospel direction.
Along with the musical transformation came a complete rebranding, he adopted the name King David, cut his signature dreadlocks, altered his dressing style and announced he had “given his life to Christ.”
At the time, he declared he was leaving secular music for good and would now sing only for the Lord.
The transition drew mixed reactions.
While some fans applauded his spiritual awakening, others were left heartbroken, particularly those who had grown to love his humorous, culturally rooted lyrics and his knack for igniting dancefloors with hits like ‘The Reason Why’ and ‘Guzuzu’.
Nevertheless, Baba Harare under the King David moniker released two gospel projects: My Testimony and Revived & Restored, collaborating with the likes of Zimpraise, Dorcas Moyo, Takesure Zamar and Minister Mahendere. The reception was modest, but it revealed a more vulnerable, introspective side to the artist.
Now, with today’s announcement, it seems Baba Hatrare is not only walking back his gospel-only stance but re-embracing the very identity he once left behind.
His statement, “Hazviite kuti musare musina baba”, suggests he believes the Jiti throne has been empty without him and that it is time for a return to the style and sound that made him a household name.
What is unclear is whether this return will be permanent, or if it a birth of a dual musical personality: King David by spirit and Baba Harare by legacy.
